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International Trade vocabulary · Import and Export

Import

Meaning in international trade, with examples

/ˈɪmpɔːrt/nounCore term

In international trade, import means: The purchase of goods or services from sellers in another country and bringing them in; also a product that is bought from abroad.

In Turkish: ithalat, ithal, ithal ürünü

How it is used

Common in purchasing, customs and economic news: import duties, import permit, import ban. The verb 'to import' is used with 'from': we import steel from Korea. The plural 'imports' refers to the total goods brought into a country.

Example sentences

  1. Most of our raw materials are imported from China and India.

  2. Imports of machinery fell sharply in the second quarter.

Common collocations

  • import duties
  • import from
  • import ban
  • import permit
  • cheap imports
  • exportThe sale of goods or services to buyers in another country; also a product that is sold abroad in this way.
  • importerA person or company that buys goods from another country and brings them in, usually paying the import duties and taxes.
  • customs dutyThe tax paid to customs on imported goods, calculated from their customs value, their HS code and sometimes their origin.
  • customs clearanceThe process of completing all customs formalities and paying any duties so that goods are allowed to leave or enter a country.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Import and Export

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